PARENTING

How to Throw a Gordon Birthday Party!

From train-shaped sammies and a travel-themed centerpiece to a super-easy cake, these fun Gordon birthday party ideas will delight your really useful crew.

Gordon Party Invitations

Download these playful train ticket invitations and print at home or at a local print shop. Just add the where-and-when details to get your guests aboard the birthday express!

Engine #4 Cake

A number-shaped baking mold is the secret to this impressive (but easy!) cake. To make it, start with one box of cake mix and two tubs of frosting. Tint half of one icing tub red and set aside; tint the rest of the frosting yellow.

Apply a “crumb coat” of yellow frosting to the cooled cake and refrigerate for half an hour, then add a top coat of yellow frosting. Next, pipe a red frosting outline onto the number. To create the edible train track, use chocolate wafer cookies for “tracks” and colored taffy for “rails.” Cover a piece of black cardstock with plastic wrap, place it on the wafers, and top with Gordon!

Birthday Express Sandwiches

Use train-shaped cookie cutters to transform simple sandwiches into fun party food. For a personalized touch, use a small number shaped cookie cutter on just the top piece of bread so that the sandwich filling highlights the birthday number.

Baggage Claim Centerpiece

Decorative suitcase boxes make for a super cute (and super-speedy) centerpiece! Embellish with Gordon and other Thomas & Friends stickers or decals, then stack them. Give a nod to the birthday kid’s age by gluing on a wooden number that’s painted yellow.

Add more train-inspired fun to your tables with this easy DIY: Start with a disposable white table cloth and add strips of black duct tape for the “tracks” and long strips of silver duct tape for the “rails.”

Train Car Snacks

Make rectangular food storage containers party-ready by using hot glue to attach 1.5” wooden wheels. For extra detail, use strips of colored duct tape to outline the sides of each container. Fill with healthy snacks for little hands to choo-choo-choose.

“Coal” Toss Game

Start with small colored storage bins or paint cardboard boxes; then customize each one with our printable engine faces. Use adhesive stickers to display the corresponding number of each engine on its box. (Game idea: The number can also represent how many points the player gets when a bean bag lands in that “engine”!)

Crafts with small parts are not intended for children under three. Toys should be placed on plastic-wrapped cardboard before adding to cake.